Dash Away
by yuuago
Summary: Finland has a little conversation with Sweden before leaving to deliver Christmas packages.


**Dash Away**

The sky was clear and black and sparkling with stars. A door opened, spilling golden light out onto the snow. Just as quickly as it had opened, it shut again. No sense in letting the heat out.

Finland looked up at the sky, smiled, then pulled on his mittens and made his way out to the shed, the snow crunching under his boots as he went. From the look of it, it was a good time for getting off of the ground.

He drew the door open and propped it back with a brick. Though the light was dim, it was bright enough that he could see the outline of the sleigh in its place. Yesterday, he had been busy at work checking things over, giving it a final look to ensure it would be in top shape for the flight. Now, there would be no turning back.

Once again, he stepped out into the snow. In the dark, everything was still and quiet. There wasn't even a breeze. Everything was silent.

Finland whistled, and the sound rang in the stillness. Then he waited.

Sure enough, after only a short moment, shadows appeared, stepping from out from the thick darkness of the trees, and as they came closer their shapes became more obvious: the long legs, the elegant heads, the branched antlers reaching upward.

"Hello, there!" Finland said, smiling broadly as he went to greet them. The reindeer each nosed at him in turn, huffing quietly, their warm breath fogging the air.

"Are you ready?" he asked as he stroked the muzzle of the largest one. "We've still got a little while left before we have to go, but it wouldn't hurt to leave a few minutes early, don't you think?"

The reindeer snorted in agreement, then nibbled at the trim on Finland's cape. It seemed like everyone agreed that it was a good idea.

Just as he drew away to go to the shed again, the door to the house opened. Finland turned to look. Silhouetted against the light from the porch was a tall, broad-shouldered figure, standing on the step with one hand on the doorknob as if unsure whether he should take the chance to step down, or whether he should speak, or whether he should go back inside without doing so much as saying a word.

Well, that wouldn't do.

"Sweden, could you come give me a hand with the harnesses?" Finland asked, offering him a smile. The shadow hesitated for another moment, then made its way down the steps and across the yard to join him. Finland resumed petting the reindeer, and waited.

The sound of big footsteps crunching on snow announced Sweden's arrival. "'S clear t'night," he said, his low voice rumbling. "Looks good."

"It does, doesn't it. We'll have smooth flying tonight, at least for the start." Finland glanced at his friend, then looked away and turned to head toward the shed. "Come on, then! Let's get my pals hitched up."

* * *

They worked together quickly and efficently. It wasn't the first time that Sweden had helped him prepare for the evening flight. He knew very well how to draw out the sleigh and get it hitched up, and as for the reindeer, they recognized him and paid him no mind except to snuffle at him and nibble on his jacket. Soon everything was ready to go.

"Well then," Finland said, stepping back and taking a look at the setup: the sleigh all hitched up to his reindeer friends, who stood in an orderly line, snorting and looking as if they were itching to get up and go. "Looks like we're all ready!" It had all gone much faster than it would have if it had just been himself, and while he could have handled it, it really had been good of Sweden to come out and give him some help.

Beside him, Sweden stood silently surveying their handiwork. Finland glanced at him. He had an unsure look on his face, as if he were trying to think of something to say, but didn't really have anything to say at all, and now he was thinking about just going back into the house without another word, but that would be too awkward, so now he was left standing there trying to think of the right thing to say.

At least, that was what it looked like to Finland. For a moment he considered this, fidgeting with the cuff of one of his mittens while he did, looking up at the clear night sky. Then he turned to Sweden again and smiled up at him.

"There's one more thing I'd like you to do for me! I mean, if it's all right with you."

"What's that?"

Sweden turned toward him, looming over him in the way that he usually tended to. But the curious look on his face seemed to ease up the looming a bit, and the way that the cold pinched his cheeks and made them rosy did a lot to make them look less serious, too.

"Would you bend down for me?" Finland gestured to emphasize it. To his level, thank you! "Just a little bit."

Without a word, Sweden put his hand on Finland's shoulder, then bent down to look him straight in the face. At any other time, all that might have been a little unnerving - he was so tall, and so close, that anyone who wasn't used to him might find it a little too much. But in the night, with the air nice and crisp and the night as bright as it was, Finland didn't mind. Not to mention that Sweden had that look about him - that awkward, not-sure-what-to-say look. That wanting-to-ask-but-deciding-just-to-wait look. He knew that well enough.

Finland lifted his hands and cupped gently at Sweden's face. "It's pretty cold, y'know," he said. "You should wear a scarf next time." Then without another word, he kissed him.

At first, Sweden didn't respond - well, Finland didn't really blame him for that; it wasn't as if he'd given him much warning - but after a second or two he got the idea and kissed back. After they were finished with it, Finland moved to pull away, only to be stopped by Sweden wrapping his arms around his shoulders, as if he didn't want to let him go just yet.

Finland stayed put and assessed the situation. Ordinarily, he wouldn't mind hugs like that so much, and to be fair, he _had_ started it. But there were other things that he needed to attend to, including the string of reindeer right beside him that were snorting and stamping at the ground impatiently.

He turned his head to look toward them. One of them was looking his way, its head tilted a bit, as if asking, "What's keeping you?"

Well.

"Um, Sweden?"

"Hm?"

"I should get going."

At that, Sweden let go of him in a hurry. There was a new flush to his cheeks, and this time, the cold wasn't to blame for it. "Sorry," he mumbled, fidgeting from one foot to the other.

"It's fine," Finland replied, reaching up to adjust the lay of his coat a bit. "Now, I really should go - otherwise I might end up running late, and that's never good, because I start rushing. You know, last year I woke up Australia by accident, and even though he wasn't all that surprised to see me it was really kind of embarrassing, and -" He stopped and fidgeted with his mittens. "Well, anyway, you should get back inside, it's cold out and I bet everyone else is wondering where you disappeared to."

Sweden nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then took Finland's mittened hands, gave them a squeeze, then stepped back from the sleigh. "Okay," he said. "Drive safe."

"Of course I will," Finland replied as he climbed into the sleigh and made himself comfortable. Then something occurred to him and he stopped, looking toward his friend one more time. "Make sure Estonia doesn't let Denmark convince him to play any of those drinking games while I'm gone, will you? It's just that last year we had to pull them both out of the snowbank and - well, you remember."

As Sweden let out an affirmative, Finland took up the reins and called to the deer. "Come on, then! Let's go!"

* * *

It was a matter of moments before they were up in the air, the reindeer dancing high above the treetops. The air had a crispness, a sharpness to it, that made the moon and stars seem so much brighter than they would on any ordinary night.

After making sure that the deer were on their path, Finland chanced to look downward. On the ground, standing out in the warm glow of the house's lights, was a black dot. It waved.

As he turned back to look toward his reindeer as they made their course through the cloudless wintery sky, Finland couldn't help but smile.

He'd be back soon enough.

The End.


End file.
